Whats your go-to tool for clearing the prop?

[madsunday]

About to join the boating world!

 

Whats your go-to tool for clearing the prop? If heard some people use hand saws, some people use bolt cutters, others kitchen knives.... What do you suggest and why?

[Canal321]

Depends what you're getting off.. some nasty stuff waiting below the water to get ya... all part of the fun

[TheBiscuits]

9 minutes ago, madsunday said:

About to join the boating world!

 

Whats your go-to tool for clearing the prop? If heard some people use hand saws, some people use bolt cutters, others kitchen knives.... What do you suggest and why?

 

It all depends what is stuck on there.  Generally I start with a sharp straight knife, then a sharp hook knife if that's a struggle.  Garden loppers are good for branches (obviously!) and for ropes.  Clothing that won't cut easily with the knives gets a folding pruning saw - possibly the best tool I have ever bought for £4!

 

Far and away the best thing I have ever bought for weedhatch diving are shoulder length industrial gauntlets.  The most important thing about them is that you can wear sleeves inside them, which gives you valuable extra minutes of unfrozen hands in winter.

 

I got Showa 690 long sleeve gloves, but others are available.

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

47 minutes ago, madsunday said:

About to join the boating world!

 

Whats your go-to tool for clearing the prop? If heard some people use hand saws, some people use bolt cutters, others kitchen knives.... What do you suggest and why?

My starting point is hands, this will clear lots of prop fouls.

 

Then a kitchen knife.

 

[TheBiscuits]

4 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

My starting point is hands, this will clear lots of prop fouls.

 

That's a good point.  It's usually easier to rip a plastic bag than to cut it, especially if it's been in the water a long time.  If you can untwist a long bit of rope from the prop that can be much easier than cutting it.

 

[madsunday]

1 hour ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

I got Showa 690 long sleeve gloves, but others are available.

 

 

Long gloves are very near the top of my list!

 

 

[TheBiscuits]

10 minutes ago, madsunday said:

Long gloves are very near the top of my list!

 

Make sure you get 24" gloves.  I first got 18" gloves which filled with water the first time I stuck them down the weedhatch!

[Rob-M]

Depends if you have a weed hatch, on an old working boat it is a short shaft, last resort is someone else with a wet suit. 

[MHS]

Mr Tickle. 

With or without a weed hatch, his arms are long enough to sort out any prop fouling. 

[NB Esk]

 

Taken during work to remove a tyre.  Hacksaw is most of the way through, mole grips and rope to pull tyre up and keep it rigid.

 

[GUMPY]

Something like this

 

https://www.lawnmowersdirect.co.uk/product/wilkinson-sword-1111123w-stainless-steel-patio-knife/

 

Which I have sharpened on both inside and outside edges. 

 

[Naughty Cal]

9 hours ago, madsunday said:

About to join the boating world!

 

Whats your go-to tool for clearing the prop? If heard some people use hand saws, some people use bolt cutters, others kitchen knives.... What do you suggest and why?

Liam.

[billh]

One of these:

https://richardcarterltd.co.uk/our-products/66-hickory-shunt-pole/

for the last near half century. No weedhatch, but sometimes useful if there is one too.

Technique for use is either get on the bank or lie over the side of the counter, aim the hook end  at the propshaft just forward of the prop then twist the pole  in a clockwise direction to engage the plastic bag/wire/rope /whatever and pull .

You can even use it to couple old railway wagons together?

Re-use,Re-cycle,Re-purpose!

[Alan de Enfield]

9 hours ago, madsunday said:

Whats your go-to tool for clearing the prop?

 

[Guest]

I should have added that if using your hands be carefull if you find fishing line around your prop, there will very likely be a hook attached, dont ask me how I know!

 

 

[CLAN1]

FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT DON'T PUT HOUR HANDS DOWN WITHOUT THICK LONG  GAUNTLETS. As others say, saw,sharp knife etc take care.

[Keeping Up]

3 minutes ago, CLAN1 said:

FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT DON'T PUT HOUR HANDS DOWN WITHOUT THICK LONG  GAUNTLETS. As others say, saw,sharp knife etc take care.

I disagree. It is impossible to tell what is there if you are wearing thick gauntlets, and impossible to untwist anything carefully. It is always better VERY CAREFULLY to explore with your hands, being wary of things like fish-hooks of course, and 9 times out of 10 you will be able to unravel things, possibly with the aid of a sharp knife HELD BY THE HANDLE OF COURSE. Only if that fails do you then resort to gauntlets and brute force.

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, CLAN1 said:

FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT DON'T PUT HOUR HANDS DOWN WITHOUT THICK LONG  GAUNTLETS. As others say, saw,sharp knife etc take care.

Not sure why you suggest that as gauntlets can hinder removal of some stuff that is easily pulled off. As long as you are careful and are aware of possible sharp edges down there and of course thoroughly wash your hands and forearms when finished all should be fine. ?

[Rob-M]

Most important is TURN OFF ENGINE AND REMOVE IGNITION KEY before putting anything down the weed hatch.

[Machpoint005]

Always assuming you have a sensibly-sized (ie BIG) weed hatch in the first place!

 

Our first boat had a weed hatch, but unfortunately my arms only have one elbow each. To use it at all would have needed three.

 

 

1 hour ago, Rob-M said:

Most important is TURN OFF ENGINE AND REMOVE IGNITION KEY before putting anything down the weed hatch.

and gearbox in neutral - you will want to rotate the prop by hand.

 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Machpoint005

[Jo_]

https://www.miracleleisureproducts.co.uk/prop-mate-c9.html

 

It is a superb tool. Slim, elegant, very tough, cuts through most things and doesn't stop you going in with arms, hands, gauntlets if needed. It's also astonishingly reasonably priced and is our go-to prezzie for boaters' Christmas Presents too (except that most of our friends are now equipped so we'll have to think of something else)!

[doratheexplorer]

1 hour ago, Keeping Up said:

I disagree. It is impossible to tell what is there if you are wearing thick gauntlets, and impossible to untwist anything carefully. It is always better VERY CAREFULLY to explore with your hands, being wary of things like fish-hooks of course, and 9 times out of 10 you will be able to unravel things, possibly with the aid of a sharp knife HELD BY THE HANDLE OF COURSE. Only if that fails do you then resort to gauntlets and brute force.

Agree. You need to feel around properly with your hand first, to work out what's going on down there.

[pearley]

11 hours ago, madsunday said:

Long gloves are very near the top of my list!

 

 

Got mine from a garden centre sold as pond gloves.

 

3 hours ago, Loddon said:

Something like this

 

https://www.lawnmowersdirect.co.uk/product/wilkinson-sword-1111123w-stainless-steel-patio-knife/

 

Which I have sharpened on both inside and outside edges. 

 

I have a long handled version of this so I can stand in the deck and rip stuff off the prop without putting my hands in freezing cold water.

[robtheplod]

4 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

Agree. You need to feel around properly with your hand first, to work out what's going on down there.

sorry this made me giggle, very childish of me....!

[doratheexplorer]

6 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

sorry this made me giggle, very childish of me....!

Life lessons with Dora!  Always have a proper feel around first, you just don't know what you might be getting into!